SNSD YoonA's birthday is coming and for everyone who would like to get to know more about her, her future plans, schedules, upcoming drama and more, this interview is a must-read for you!

Have a good read everyone~

Q: How are you going to spend your birthday this upcoming May 30th?

YoonA: I have many schedules (laughs). Since it’s my birthday, I have a schedule where I will do something special. I hope fans will like it. The list of what I want to do has been added up one by one so my May has suddenly become busy. (laughs) I cannot hold a birthday party this year because of the current situation but I will communicate with my fans in another way. I am looking forward to it because it is the one day in a year that I can officially communicate with my fans. Greeting my fans by being the cover model for Big Issue was a suggestion that came to me after wondering about what kind of meaningful thing I could do. It’s my present for my fans.

Q: Throughout your 10s and 20s as a member of SNSD, you were really active in various activities like acting and joining variety shows. How do you picture the 13 years’ period being celebrity Yoona?

YoonA: I was really busy. I feel like my life passed by quickly. I am so stunned now to know that I have been loved. Now that I am in my 30s, there has been changes in my mindset and values. Maybe it’s because I am getting older now? At the same time, I feel light-hearted. These days my friends have been calling me Benjamin. Just like the protagonist in I feel like my time and my friends’ time have switched. (laughs) My friends are now working and living busily as a freshman in the school of life, while in contrast, I was so busy during my youth and now I finally have some freedom. Now my friends are feeling what I felt when I was young and all the things I am feeling in my daily life, my friends told me that “We all went through that already”.
Q: It seems like you are quite satisfied with your life?

YoonA: It feels good right now and it will be even better next year. That’s how I live. I think that this year will be better than last year, and the next year will be better than this year.

Q: To celebrate this Big Issue cover, Yoona’s fans are planning to put up a birthday ad. Are you aware of that?

YoonA: Really? I didn’t know. I just thought it would be great if they know and enjoy reading Big Issue. But it turned out better than I expected.

Q: Yoona’s fans always hold some events every year to celebrate your birthday: an exhibition to showcase Yoona over the time; donations to charities; building a school in China under Yoona’s name.

YoonA: I am so thankful. It’s really great. Of course it’s great if I can directly do it myself but seeing people who support me come together and do a good deed under the name of my fans, I can really feel their love and I am very grateful. Their hearts are so beautiful. They give each other the energy to live with a pretty heart.

Q: I am inspired by celebrities to contribute to our society. Donations, sponsorships, volunteer work… I haven’t been able to donate to any organizations for COVID-19 relief though. Do you have any advice for me to start contributing to our society?

YoonA: I think once you start, everything falls in place. I started to do one thing that I liked at a time and as time passes by, those little things made me realize how much I have done. It was hard for me at the beginning. But after you start, you will see things from different perspectives and the next step will not be so hard. I always wonder what I should do and what I can do to fulfil my heart. Sharing just feels as good as receiving and when you share, you receive even more laugh. (laughs).

Q: Your next project is JTBC Drama , which will be aired in the second half of this year. Can you tell us in advance about your character Jisoo?

YoonA: Jisoo is a journalist. I think there is a connection between her and EXIT’s Euijoo.

Q: Is Yoona the righteous type in real life?

YoonA: I think I’m more loyal than righteous. I usually go to music broadcast station to support SNSD members’ solo activities and I like to take care of people around me. These are things I do because I want to so I see it as loyalty.
Q: ‘SNSD’ is a name that still holds so much weight/is very influential. Other members are active in different fields, what is the meaning of your members to you?

YoonA: They are the people who I feel comfortable to be around every time we meet. I met them during my 10s and spent every moment of my 20s with them. I have spent half of my life with them. There is something I can’t quite describe. There are people around us who feel envious looking at us.

Q: There are lots of juniors and fans who see Yoona as their role model. Is there a message you want to send to your fans who are still in their 10s and 20s?

YoonA: I am very thankful that you see me in that way. When I hear someone chose me as his/her role model, I really want to meet that person. It feels so amazing to be in that position. I also have my own role model, so I know exactly how you feel, and I think we have to have lots of communication. There are many things I want to say though…You might feel that I am someone who is distant and lives a different life just because I am a celebrity, but I want to tell you that I am just a normal person. I wish I did not think too deeply and too much about everything. As you live, you will have many troubles but they won’t be as huge as you make them out to be. But if you keep thinking and digging, you will get stuck in your thoughts so try to think less.